In Your Element
by ScribeOfRemedy
Summary: The Paladins of Voltron are known as the guardians of the sky, forest, land, fire and water. But what if their lions connected them to the elements so intrinsically that their very emotions affected the environments around them? Or five times the paladins channeled their emotions through the elements. All paladins get a chapter.
1. Withering Sorrow: Pidge

NOTES: Pidge gets a little down on herself in this one but it gets better.

* * *

Pidge was having a rotten day.

It kicked off with failing team training spectacularly – normally, nothing to get too upset about. Allura and Coran were always throwing cruel and unusual punishments at them and dressing it up as team bonding. It's just – when those tended to go south it was usually because everyone's screwing up. This time it was all on Pidge and she'd taken the others down with her.

_Minefield_ proved to be a whole new brand of misery. Coran had gone nuts setting up explosive traps all over the training deck the other paladins would have to navigate around to reach their color coded, designated positions while Pidge took her turn conveying instructions through the helmet comms. It should have been a simple task, and probably would have been easy if not for the rule that her teammates couldn't stop moving, oh, and that they were blindfolded. The boys were completely at her mercy and try as she might, Pidge could only give instructions to one paladin at a time, essentially resulting in her having to pick and choose who got spared from walking into the moderately painful traps. In short, it was a blood bath.

Her dazzling lack of success carried over to the invisible maze and her armor was now thoroughly singed. Then she couldn't even perform adequately at the mind meld training because she couldn't stop thinking about her absolute disaster of an attempt at the bonding exercise. It was all she could do not to rip apart the dumb headbands that everyone hated because they were uncomfortable and always mushed up your sweaty hair. She knew this because it's literally been in everyone's surface thoughts while wearing the stupid things, right along with distinct sensations of curiosity and concern directed right at her.

And as if having to practically retreat to the privacy of her own room afterwards wasn't bad enough, sifting through the Galra data they'd managed to swipe on their last mission yielded zero results about her family's whereabouts _again_. So Matt and her father would just have to continue to rot in whatever Galran hellhole they'd been sentenced to until she could actually pull it together and be useful at _anything_.

Slamming her laptop closed, Pidge shoved the offending results to the edge of her bed and in the process unbalancing the tiny, repurposed pod weighing down a stack of system diagnostics on the bedside table. Cursing her short arms, she lunged across the bed to catch the small container before it could be upended onto the messy floor. That's when she noticed the plant growing inside wasn't looking so hot.

Pidge bit off a strangled swear when tears stated to prickle at the sight.

It was ridiculous and so very small in comparison to all the other upsets she was dealing with at the moment – because for all the turmoil and war in the galaxy what did the life of one inconsequential, little plant matter? But somehow for Pidge it was the last straw.

That she couldn't even let her emotions lose in the seclusion of her own room knocked something lose in the Green Paladin and a lump started to form in her throat. Gasping wetly around the obstruction, Pidge wished she had realized just how much trouble she'd signed up for when she agreed to being a Paladin of Voltron – because it sure would have been nice if anybody had said anything about the job coming with elemental empath powers.

Not long after all this saving the universe madness started up Allura had taken them aside and explained that a deeper connection with their lions equated to a deeper connection with the lion's corresponding element. She'd said that the paladins were meant to be forces of nature in their own right and that their state of mind could shape the battlefield. Pidge had found it pretty bizarre that they were essentially getting elemental mood rings but hadn't given the unexpected development too much thought beyond base scientific curiosity and slight irritation at having to bond with the forest of all things. _Did it look like she wanted to be queen of the outdoors? It's nothing but sunburn and poison oak._

For her it was an ability that didn't affect much up in space. She had to be planetside to get any kind of noticeable reaction, at least that's how things started. It wasn't long after they'd shown signs of connecting with their elements that random little plants began popping up around the castle from the places they visited. Pidge wasn't sure who was responsible, but her money was on Lance or maybe Hunk. At first the plants had annoyed her; she didn't always want to be hyperaware of how she was feeling. It was bad enough she'd have to watch herself in forests and heaven help her if she ever ended up near any kind of garden or crops. But then she noticed how nice the plants looked when she was making a breakthrough on a project or learning something new and exciting.

She'd ended up with this little guy in her room that resembled the succulents back on Earth. Its thick, fleshy leaves were an unusual violet-blue color and zebra stripped with thin, water bearing protrusions in a lighter shade of blue closer to cerulean. There was also a lone stalk springing up from the center mass of leaves that just might've been capable of blooming, Pidge wasn't really sure. She'd never had much of a green thumb but her mother had always been keen to keep some manner of greenery around the house and the little growth reminded her of home.

Now that same sprout was struggling, the stalk shriveling up and twining inwards on itself like the tree in the _Nightmare Before Christmas_, and since it seemed to be the theme for the day, Pidge knew it was entirely her fault. This small living organism that sat at the head of her bed and made her think about returning home with her family someday was suffering. No. She was _killing_ it. She nearly gave in to the impulsive urge to smash the fragile pod against the farthest wall and never lay eyes on it again.

But that meant accepting defeat – something that had always niggled with Pidge. She was still rational enough to understand that what she really needed was control of the situation, some proof of validation for herself and all she was trying to accomplish. Somehow it had suddenly all become tied to her ability to save just one insignificant little scrap of nature.

Her mood was causing this. Feasibly all she had to do was think about something else; that's all there was to it, right? Expect it wouldn't be that easy. Pidge knew she had a terrible habit of fixating on things and never letting go of a problem till she had a viable solution. She was going to keep worrying about her family. She was going to keep being scared for Matt and her dad working as slaves under the Galras' thumb and all the gruesome, terrible things that could be happening to them. She was going to keep feeling homesick and guilty for leaving her mom all alone on Earth. Those emotions weren't going away, but maybe she could lock them down, soothe them with something happier. Memories with her family weren't going to cut it. They'd just remind her how none of them were here right now and that it was her own fault all over again in an awful, self-ridiculing feedback loop. But memories with her team, just maybe she could focus on the people who'd been there to fill the painful void left behind by her loved ones.

There was Lance with his occasionally well timed, lame jokes, who never really protested when she used him as an outlet for her frustrations, accepting the abuse like the seasoned older sibling he was. Quick to forgive and even quicker to join her in whatever irresponsible mischief she could cook up.

Hunk with his distracted rambling, curious snooping and compassionate ear, always eager to dive into an intense round of tinkering and engineering at the drop of a hat to back up her ideas and help her work past the obstacles.

Keith with his supportive and oddly understanding silences. The biggest loner of them all, yet he'd come to her defense in a heartbeat with savage intensity.

And Shiro, who knew exactly what Pidge's family was going through because he had lived it, allowed her to think those first uncharitable thoughts about him in her ignorance of what he'd done for them. More of an older brother than a commander, he'd let her reveal her true identity in her own time.

These people weren't her family in the sense that they shared blood or had known each other all their lives, but they were hers all the same and they relied on her, believed in her. With so much faith behind her maybe Pidge could still believe in herself too.

It was slow at first, almost unnoticeable, but the sad plant perked up a bit. There was color returning to the withered leaves and the stalk began to straighten out. Pidge watched in awe as the little sprout fought and strained back to life. The bulb at the end of sprout started to bulge and grow, before popping open to reveal vibrant pink petals dusted in sparkling, golden pollen.

Pidge gasped, mesmerized. She'd done it; the little guy was going to live!

It was of course in this moment, at the height of her victory, that she inhaled a whiff of the alien pollen and promptly sneezed hard enough to scatter more pollen and dirt from the pod all over the sheets of her bunk. She groaned noisily, trying not to breathe in any more of the gold dust irritating her nasal cavities.

Maybe it wasn't all sunburn and poison oak, but nature was still a pain._ Eugh_.

* * *

END NOTES: I had a little succulent similar to the one in Pidge's room. It's most unfortunate happy thoughts were not enough to bring it back to life too.

Up next week will be the Guardian of Water. Thanks for reading!


	2. Shivering Terror: Lance

Okay, that was it, Lance was never allowing himself to be volunteered for another one of Coran's looney sidequests. Stick a fork in him, he was done. He should be back on the castle getting his chill on, not freezing his keister off in subzero temperatures. Voltron had already fended off a gang of rowdy space pirates today; surely that earned anyone a little R&R.

That had certainly been the Blue Paladin's plan, at least right up until Coran had something of a hyperactive fit when realizing how close they were to the Glacies Ring, which supposedly meant bezellduv berries. The Alteans had thought it too good an opportunity to pass up.

"So, can we use these bez-duv things to make like, jams and stuff? Hmm, or maybe fruit fillings for pastries and oh, we could make berry muffins, berry pancakes and pies!" Hunk released a long, wistful sigh. "Man, I miss pie."

"A better question would be what _can't_ you do with bezellduv berries." Coran puffed out his chest in pride. "They're exceptionally high in nutrients, considered a super fruit across the galaxy."

"They were an essential ingredient for some of the finest delicacies on Altea," Allura supplied with a bit of bittersweet longing and yep, that right there was why Lance kept allowing himself to get dragged into these sorts of things. A man had his weaknesses, okay.

Lance averted his eyes away from the princess and squinted out at the surrounding frozen landscape, unable to make out much else besides a startling amount of white. "You mean to tell me that something actually grows on this chunk of ice?"

"Of course, bezellduv berries require blistering cold climates to grow properly." During his explanation Coran activated several hovering bins that floated off the ground before invading the personal space of their assigned berry picker.

Lance nudged his bin a little further from his person, privately deciding that next time he would be playing a little harder to get, even if Coran tried talking up the Blue Lion again and how she was the _best_ option for tackling the frigid environment and that it was the _perfect_ opportunity to grow closer to his element. No, Lance would stay strong.

He still didn't really get the elemental stuff. Learning that on top of getting to pilot giant, magical lion ships they also had inherited some kind of emphathic abilities – that sounded suspiciously like super powers – had been pretty cool. Learning said super powers didn't have a whole lot of practical use outside the atmosphere and were potentially very dangerous was a little less cool. He hadn't personally gotten much of a reaction from water himself, unless remaining calm and largely unaffected counted as a reaction.

Meanwhile, plants lived or died with a mood swing from Pidge. All it took was a little anxiety from Hunk and the ground moved beneath his feet. The whole sky shifted into action to reflect Shiro's state of mind. Even Keith had flames jumping at his angry barbs.

So Lance had secretly been hoping that visiting an entire planet covered in his element might change things. But much like the water on the castle, the ice and snow didn't seem to react to him at all.

Maybe he just wasn't cut out for being a paladin.

When Coran marched them all up the nearest slope, Lance obediently followed along and endured as the advisor dished out bizarre warnings about the alien climate. Granted, this place was definitely about a bajillion degrees below freezing, but the paladin armor did keep out a surprising amount of cold. They were built to stand up to the empty vacuum of space so that kinda made sense to Lance. Unfortunately, the armor did nothing for having to trudge through waist-high snow or being beat down by violent winds. The hover bins had to be tethered to their armor so that they wouldn't blow off course. It was definitely looking like the paladins left behind to monitor the castle got the better end of this deal.

They searched for what felt like vargas before Coran directed them to check the surrounding snow drifts for buried berries, which proved to be an exercise in patience that Lance certainly didn't possess. The Blue Paladin ended up grumbling at the sky from where he was half drowning in the snow himself, still fruitless, when he spotted it – an unassuming little bush nestled higher up on a nearby ledge.

"Hey, I think I see some berries up there." Lance eagerly dislodged himself from the snow to jump up the cliffside, grateful to be out of the cold slush.

"Oh, careful, Number Three. The ice might not be as stable further up," Coran warned.

"Relax, I've got a jet pack," Lance completely dismissed the older Altean's concerns. He was in full paladin armor – this couldn't be safer. The Blue Paladin made quick work of the climb and at the top of the ledge there were indeed berries; however, further in behind the shrub was also what looked to be a nest of some kind.

Unable to resist investigating, Lance leaned over the nest and found three white, fuzzy creatures, looking up at him from under floppy ears with overlarge red eyes. "Oh, hey there, little guys."

"Lance, did you find someone?" Allura sounded wary over the comms.

"Yeah, there's these cute, puppy aliens up here." Then in a softer tone – that was somehow of equal volume – he cooed, "Isn't dat right, widdle, fuzzy bug puppies."

"Fuzzy bug – Lance, get out of there! Those are kremnack pups!" Coran snapped. "They may look cuddly now but they're quite the dangerous little fire-breathing rascals."

"Aw, are you kidd'n me, these things are adorable! Just look at these little – Ahhhhhhhh!" Lance's defense was choked off entirely as a monstrous creature burst through the dense tree line, sending ice and snow raining down on them and shrieking some horrible, angry roar. Even with the distance and camouflaging frost clinging to its sparse, peach fuzz fur the pale alien beast easily appeared no less than fourteen feet tall, moving on six insect-like legs ending in webbed claws that were apparently perfect for bounding over the top of the snowy landscape without issue – and it was wasting no time making a mad scramble toward the paladin standing over its nest.

Lance screeched in a high pitch he'd sooner die than admit to before using a burst from his jetpack to reach the top of the cliff he'd been scaling and ran for all he was worth. The creature came up on him so fast he didn't even think to summon his blaster; trivial affairs like self-defense seemed to have been completely leeched out of his brain by pure flight instinct.

The grown kremnack beared down on him with giant, red compounded eyes and hungrily stabbed out with what Lance had first assumed to be a sharp, armor piercing needle nose until it split in half and opened to reveal rows of serrated teeth – and, okay, so maybe screaming his lungs out like a five-year-old girl wasn't the manliest of reactions, but quiznack, that was a lot of teeth. Also, as Coran had mentioned, the kremnack was definitely breathing fire.

Making distance his priority, Lance chanced another blast of his jetpack, but without the buffer of the cliff face or surrounding trees the wind was harsher and for one wild, terrifying moment he was caught up in a powerful gale and tossed about like a ragdoll. He landed pretty hard, distantly noting the strange, hollow resonance of the impact. More immediately he felt the aches and pains trailing up his side, but Lance couldn't waste a second laying around taking stock of his new collection of bruises. He flailed to get upright and moving on the slick terrain, but he was too late. A long, spindly leg swatted him right off his feet and Lance tumbled head over heel across endless white, losing all sense of direction.

He choked on his own breath when his momentum came to a sudden, jarring halt against an unyielding surface, most likely more ice, the escaped air condensating against the not-glass of his visor. He felt a sense of unease at the knowledge. That wasn't supposed to happen, not with the Altean design of the armor – his helmet was compromised.

Lance tried to get up and run, but there was a noise like the ice grinding against itself below his feet. It was loud and distracting, making it difficult to think straight. He had to concentrate though; he needed his bayard. With his back up against a plane of ice the monster had him cornered. It was looming over him now, prowling closer, with its pincer maw extended wide. Little blue sparks started to dance between its teeth and the Blue Paladin felt his heart stutter as he sensed the phantom heat. It was going to fry him alive.

Then the ice cracked.

Lance could only stare in bewilderment with his pulse still ringing loud in his ears as the creature fell beneath the ice, submerged in arctic depths. It didn't come back to the surface.

While the noise of his own heartbeat tapered off, faint tremors could still be felt through the ground and for an instant he worried the ice would claim him as well, but then he's swept up into a crushing hug by Hunk, pulled away from the chasm in the ice and realizing the Yellow Paladin was just worried about him. That explained the shaking but not the ice.

Or did it? Weren't Lance's emotions also in play here? He had been so scared the feeling must have been powerful enough to make the ice break open in response. His connection to Blue might have just saved his life. _Thanks, Blue._

With mental purrs from the Blue Lion echoing in the back of his mind, Lance started to think that just maybe he'd work out at this saving the universe business after all. If nothing else, at least he had a pretty good icebreaker.

* * *

END NOTES: So a kremnack is basically my idea of the universe's most terrifying mosquito. :D

Up next week will be the Guardian of Land. Thanks for reading!


	3. Rumbling Fury: Hunk

The first time Hunk connected with his element he had been nervous. Coran had insisted it was time for another go at that awful training exercise where the helmet visors were blacked out and they had to fly blind in a terrifying nose dive straight toward the ground. Hunk always did the worst at that drill.

They were all getting ready to take off when this horrible shaking started up. The phenomenon didn't help Hunk calm down. He could swear he felt the screws and bolts being shook loose on his lion the tremors were so bad. It wasn't till Shiro started speaking to him with exaggerated calm through the comms that Hunk realized he was the one causing them. He tried to relax – he really did – it's just this particular exercise always stressed him out.

But it wasn't long before Lance joined in on the comms and managed to distract him, getting him to ramble on about possibilities for lunch and doing something with the weird produce they'd picked up after their last mission. He didn't even notice that the shaking had died down before Shiro asked him if he was ready to try again. It was embarrassing, but Hunk had learned some modicum of control since then, never getting too carried away with his negative emotions when he was on the ground. Or that's what he liked to believe, at any rate.

Hunk wasn't nervous right now. No, he was furious. Incensed that these Galra would dare touch his teammates. Pidge and Shiro had gone into an underground Galra base for another data extraction while everyone else took out the base's defenses and provided a distraction on the surface. The Galra hadn't been expecting them and Keith had managed to take out their communications array before a distress signal could be sent. The mission had been going smoothly, right up until Shiro cried out in pain over the comms.

After that the Black Paladin went disturbingly silent and Pidge started calling his name over what sounded like laser fire. In short order she reported that Shiro was down, sentries had them pinned and could someone please come down there and help her haul their fearless leader back to the lions?

Hunk had been the closest to the underground entrance so he'd quickly landed and left Lance and Keith to continue the distraction while following the map Pidge had sent to his gantlet display. Catching up to Shiro and Pidge took more time than Hunk would have liked. Some of the tunnels were a bit narrow and he had to focus hard not to let the claustrophobic illusion of the walls closing in get to him – as long as he didn't panic the walls would stay right where they were supposed to. Eventually he found the larger chamber marked on Pidge's map, only she and Shiro weren't pinned down by sentries anymore.

Instead a tall, exceptionally bulky Galra officer was holding up an unconscious Shiro against the wall with one hand fisted around the white ring of armor circling his neck and the other mechanical fist grabbing at his left leg. Three sentries were fanned out behind the officer, blasters drawn. Pidge was being restrained by two more sentries; she was struggling, trying to wiggle free despite the confining metal fingers digging in to her wrists and shoulders. There were the beginnings of a nasty yellow bruise blossoming on the right side of her face. "Hey, stop that! Let him go, you oversized Klanmüirl!"

The officer didn't stop. "I think not. Champion has the unfortunate habit of fleeing his masters. I'm simply taking precautionary measures. You'll learn submission to your betters swiftly, little pest, or you will suffer the same discipline." With that the Galra ripped off Shiro's shin guard before grabbing onto his calf and squeezing. The break was audible, echoing loudly in the enclosed caverns a split second before Shiro's scream. The Black Paladin woke up dazed and shaking, trying to light up his arm to get away from the Galra holding him up. Then the officer dropped him.

Jolted into awareness, Shiro tried to keep from crying out but it didn't really work and he ended up choking on a strangled sob of pain. The officer loomed over him. "Greetings, Champion. What a pleasure it is to have you back with us. I am Commander Ulbrax and you can rest assured that I won't be letting you slip away so _easily_."

_That despicable _– Hunk was pretty sure he'd never been so angry before in his entire life, and the earth of this planet was quaking as evidence. The walls of the tunnels rumbled in time with his racing thoughts. It was a bit like being back on the Balmera, but Hunk's not strong enough to shake the whole planet. At least, he really hoped he wasn't. That'd probably be bad. There's already a good chance some of the caves won't survive the stress. Either way, it's enough to get the Galran to step back in alarm. "What's happening out there? We shouldn't be experiencing seismic activity on this scale."

One of the sentries not occupied with a holding down Pidge piped up, "We are still under attack by the Lions of Voltron. Our communications and tectonic sensory arrays are disabled. We have no means to gauge the integrity of the base."

"Blast! Ready the base for evacuation and prep my ship for immediate take off. I'll take the Champion to Emperor Zarkon myself if I have to!"

_Not if I have anything to say about it — you're not gonna lay another finger on any of my friends._ Hunk managed to wait until two of the sentries disappeared further down into the tunnels before firing. He took out the sentries leaned over Pidge and then blasted the door panel by the entrance to the lower tunnels, sealing off any backup the Galra might try to hail.

Pidge, likely suspecting his presence the moment the base started shaking, was ready. As soon as she was free her bayard was back in her hands and the last sentry was treated to a taste of her grappling taser.

Ulbrax growled in outrage and tried to rush the Green Paladin. But Shiro had recovered from his initial shock and threw himself out, grabbing the commander's ankle and tripping him up. The motion jarred his broken leg though and he nearly lost his grip. Thankfully he'd bought enough time for Hunk to make it further into the chamber and get a solid shot in on Ulbrax. The ruthless officer crumpled to the ground in a heap and Hunk could feel the tiniest twinges of relief beginning to prickle in his gut, but they're not out of the woods yet.

Shiro struggled to prop himself up. "Nice work, Hunk. The quakes were a clever diversion."

Pidge shrieked as she's nearly crushed by a falling stalactite from the chamber's ceiling. "Yeah, don't suppose you could turn those off right about now?"

"Sorry! It's just so hard to calm down with all this adrenaline on an empty stomach, also I think I _might_ have possibly collapsed some of the tunnels by accident – which is bad – there's probably more sentries on the way and Keith and Lance are all alone out there by themselves. Oh man, what if they're fighting?" Hunk tried to wind down, but the more he thought about the things that were okay the more he thought about the things that were not okay and that precious assurance that was just starting spring up was already starting to get shoved back down by all these little snags. Not to mention the seething anger hadn't really dissipated yet either, though shooting the guy had helped.

"Don't worry about it, Hunk. Let's just concentrate on getting back to the surface." Shiro's normally calming direction probably would have been a lot more successful in talking Hunk down if it hadn't been delivered through gritted teeth as he tried to get his feet under him again with Pidge's support this time.

Just the sight of Shiro stubbornly struggling through the pain, even though he didn't have to, made Hunk's blood boil anew. Despite having a team now, Shiro still clung to old, self-reliant tendencies. It was a sore spot with the rest of the paladins as well as a reoccurring source of frustration and right now Hunk wouldn't stand for it. "Oh no you don't, just stop. I can't watch this, makes me all queasy even looking at that leg. Just hold on." He very intentionally didn't look Shiro in the eye as he hauled the older paladin onto his shoulders in a rough approximation of a fireman's carry. It was awkward at first, the metal arm and all that muscle weighed Shiro down. Thankfully, Hunk hasn't been hefting around his heavy bayard for nothing and he finally got the Black Paladin situated.

Shiro cringed under the stress put on his leg but didn't protest. They needed to move before Hunk's temper and anxiety brought the whole base down on top of them. Pidge took point and together they hustled back to the Yellow Lion.

It wasn't easy going but at least the quakes let up the moment they made it out of the tunnels, something about the open air banishing some of Hunk's dark mood. Not to mention, the sky was surprisingly clear. There were definitely dark clouds on the horizon but for the most part it looked like Shiro wasn't too distressed and only projecting calm for Hunk's sake.

Pidge already called Lance and Keith on the comms and pretty soon they're all off the miserable planet and back on the castle. Shiro ended up in a healing pod for a few varga but came out good as new and the whole team praised Hunk for _the galaxy's most legendary rescue_ – Lance's words.

After the way things turned out, Hunk decided that maybe it's not the worst thing to be able to move the earth, so long as he could help his friends.

* * *

END NOTES: And Hunk saves the day!

Up next week will be the Guardian of Fire. Thanks for reading!


	4. Flickering Hope: Keith

The abandoned battle cruiser was big, maybe not anywhere close to the massive proportions Sendak's ship had been; even so, the craft had made quite an impression. Most of the surrounding forest was now crowded within the yawning crater left behind by the crash impact. The ship itself was covered in rust and an alien moss that floated around the downed vessel like living coral. It made the scene all the more surreal, as if Keith was approaching a sunken ship nestled in a tropical jungle at the bottom of the ocean, not boarding a Galra cruiser left to rot in the middle of nowhere.

Voltron's first contact with the locals revealed the system to be free of Galra occupation. Apparently the cruiser had crashed quite some time ago, a casualty of some ancient battle long since passed. Allura used the opportunity to extend an invitation to the Voltron Alliance, though it was really more of a courtesy than any kind of tactical ploy. These people were a long way off from developing space travel and completely ignorant of both Voltron and the Galra Empire. Much like the Arusians, this civilization hadn't even existed at the beginning of the war.

While Allura, Shiro and Coran had an audience with the village elders, the remainder of the team were predominantly left to their own devices and the task of checking into the enemy cruiser was shirked off almost immediately in favor of an odd game the local children began teaching them; something involving an oblong ball and wide poles, or bats maybe? Keith never held much interest in sports back on Earth so the specifics escaped him

The rest of the younger paladins were completely taken with the game and didn't notice as Keith quietly slipped away. Normally, he would've at least attempted to stick around the others with Shiro and Allura otherwise occupied, but he couldn't pass up this opportunity to get some answers. The weight of the mysterious blade pressed against him from where it was tucked away from prying eyes. He'd yet to find any clues to its origins but who knew what secrets could be hidden away in that old ship. If his teammates would rather goof off then who was he to stop them? He'd always been a loner anyway. It was better this way.

On his way out of the village he grabbed a primitive looking torch. He'd been pulled up short when he realized it was lit with actual fire, the embers encased in some type of organic looking half-dome that didn't burn up like the liquid fuel pooled in its base. Live flames weren't something he came across often, especially since the elemental nonsense started up. For an uncomfortable tick visions of deadly forest fires haunted his conscience but he mastered the anxiety quickly. All he needed to do was remain calm and the fire would stay small and controlled on the end of the torch where it belonged. Maybe leaving the others behind was a good thing after all; nobody (Lance) around to try his patience. He just had to focus. _Easy_.

Besides, he'd need the light source to navigate the dark jungle. This planet was pretty far from the nearest sun and the whole place seemed to be continuously cast under an eerie twilight.

Getting to the ship proved fairly simple, it's hard to miss even in the jungle's low light environment. The torch lit up the dull, moss-covered hull in a harsh red glare that highlighted the viscous wounds running down its length. It's a curious sight that makes the old vessel seem bizarrely organic. The broken ship's been lying here for centuries but beneath the rust and plant matter Keith can still make out the unfriendly Galra colors and sterile aesthetic. This had to of happened early on in Zarkon's bid for universal domination, a cruiser damaged in battle and crashing down in a no name sector without hope of rescue.

Keith crawled through an opening near the roof of the ship and dropped down into an ominously dark hallway, the humble flames of the torch barely piercing the gloom. Ancient metal creaked under his light steps, the noise competing with the metallic echo of winds buffeting the compromised hull. It's made all the more unnerving by the absence of Hunk's usual anxious commentary or Lance asking him something stupid like if he's scared. No timid or snarky chatter followed him into the depths of the ship and the further he explored the softer the scrape of the wind against the vessel became. By the time he slipped down to the lower levels all he could hear was the metal staining under his own feet. The noise took up residence between his ears and grinded away at his concentration. He hadn't found anything that resembled the rune decorating his blade but he hadn't checked the ship's storage bay yet. There might still be something; he couldn't quit just yet. He tried to ignore the obnoxious whine from the floor as he held the torch higher, hunting a way around another sealed door he couldn't force open with his small blade. Further down there's a support beam skewering the hall and penetrating the deck below. Keith could probably squeeze through. He made for the opening but this time when the floor protested it's coupled with a low groan that seemed to shake the whole ship. Before Keith could even think about backtracking the metal gave out beneath him.

He spent about two seconds wondering why the crazily intuitive jetpack wasn't responding before remembering he's not wearing the armor. Allura hadn't wanted them suited up, went against the local traditions or something. Keith had little time to lament the decision as something collided with his back, knocking the air lose from his lungs and flinging the torch from his grasp. Then he was lost, tumbling wild in the expansive black with the torn fragments of the ship. He crashed down hard against a slanted surface that jammed him roughly against something immobile in the darkness. He felt more than heard the heavy metal settling around him, coming to rest in a chaotic heap at the bottom of the drop.

As nerves he hadn't realized were numbed came painfully alive again, he felt how damp and cold this part of the ship was. He had to of been down pretty deep, but there was light, small and wavering, so the fire had somehow survived, if barely. It's teetering on the edge of what appeared to be a beam of rebar or whatever the ancient Galran equivalent was. If he could get to it he could probably find a way out. He just needed to move.

He tried to sit up but an unwelcome chill crawled up his spine when his legs didn't respond accordingly. A brief moment of inspection later, during which Keith tried very hard not to panic, he found that his legs were wedged underneath a chuck of flooring that's too heavy to budge. They're still there – he could feel them. But he wasn't going anywhere.

Responding to the unhappy realization, the torch dimmed, it's light pulling back and shrouding more of the decaying ship in obscure shadow.

_Right._ He couldn't freakout right now, not if he wanted the embers to stay alive.

Keith considered getting angry just so the torch would perk up and burn brighter. But he knew it wasn't wise, there could only be so much fuel contained in the torch. If he used it all up too quickly he'd be trapped and in the dark. It was already going to be nearly impossible for the others to find him. There were no openings to the outside in this part of the ship that he could see and like an idiot he hadn't told anyone where he was going, all because he'd felt they should have wanted to come instead of playing their silly game, should have noticed when he didn't participate.

Keith's not sure when he started caring. It shouldn't matter to him if the others wanted to include him in another one of their meaningless wastes of time. But somehow it did.

It wasn't like the Garrison anymore. He had gotten used to being left out. Going it alone had become normal. And now he had to relearn how to let other people in again. It was hard to be angry at them for that, if anything he should be angry at himself. If they never found him down here in this wreck he would deserve it.

The little flame shrunk down further, stuttering in a nonexistent breeze and causing grotesque silhouettes to hang off the dark mass of collapsed decks and warped hallways.

No. He shouldn't think like that. The others would find him. And his best chance was to keep the fire going as long as possible. If he couldn't be angry then he at least had to believe his team was coming for him.

Slowly the flames flickered back to life, bolstered by the faith in his team. And they were coming, he knew it. They might not always get along but one thing Keith had learned was that Voltron didn't abandon their own even in the worst of odds.

He lost track of how long he sat in the darkness hoping, but the torch kept its steady light. At some point he must have started to zone out because he didn't register the voices until they were right on top of him.

"There's a light down there."

"I see it too."

"Hey, Keith, can you hear me?"

Keith squinted up at the gaping hole above, able to make out four figures highlighted in the blue indicator lights of the paladin armor. "Guys?"

"We found him, Contact Allura!" That was Shiro. In a matter of moments he and the others were digging him out, being extra careful to avoid another avalanche of metal. "You're gonna be alright, Keith."

"I know."

And he was.

* * *

END NOTES: Last but certainly not least will be the Guardian of the Sky. Thanks for reading!


	5. Skyfaring Heart: Shiro

NOTES: This whole story started because I witnessed the most beautiful sky after a storm and just couldn't help myself.

* * *

The team was finally taking a much deserved break. Allura had wormholed the Castle of Lions to a secluded sector on the outer reaches of the galaxy to visit a particularly peaceful planet, untouched by the Galra's conquest. Coran had recommended the location for its peaceful scenery and gorgeous beaches that were presumably perfectly safe for swimming. Fortunately, after 10,000 years the information still held true and everyone was excited; even Pidge was chomping at the bit to get out and explore the new planet. The native plantlife swelled, obviously affected by her eagerness, flourishing with healthy looking bulbs and florescent blossoms in all manner of unusual colors.

Hunk and Lance were chattering animatedly back and forth about grabbing everything they would need from the castle for the ideal beach day. Together they concocted something of a list and then Lance was off, ensuring everyone had proper swimwear and towels, while Hunk disappeared into the kitchen to assemble a picnic of unprecedented proportions.

Even Keith was helping out – a rarity for non-training related activities. Hunk had assigned him the task of working with Coran to provide a close approximation to sunscreen. The Alteans were fascinated that human skin was delicate enough for sun radiation to be harmful to them. With more urgency than the situation really warranted, Allura commanded Coran to go through their topical reserves immediately in search of a proper protectant for the paladins. It was really too bad it looked like no one would be needing it. The sky had been steadily darkening in turmoil since the moment they had arrived, complete with big, ominous thunderheads and raging high winds. All because Shiro wasn't relaxing.

It really wasn't fair, Shiro mused as he tried taking deep, even breaths to calm his nerves. While everyone had to put up with their moods affecting the elements around them, nobody else had to deal with their emotions literally being on display in the sky itself.

If the need arose, the other paladins could be removed from their element. Forest, land, fire and water were all escapable. The sky was everywhere. It was also the most expressive of the elements, making it all too easy to figure out exactly how the Black Paladin was feeling at any given moment and Shiro hated it. He hated how all the others were giving him concerned looks and tiptoeing around him like he was made of glass. He hated how his emotions would never be private again. But right now, he hated how he was ruining everyone's fun just because he was uncomfortable showing a little skin.

He tried to ignore it, put the issue out of his mind and quit worrying so much. There were other issues he could concentrate on. The large body of water and nearby volcanic geysers meant Shiro needed to pull both Lance and Keith aside before they disembarked – separately of course. None of them truly knew the extent of the connection to their elements and with the reactions being so unpredictable, well, Shiro didn't want them to lose focus during a shouting match. Keith grudgingly accepted the reminder to keep his cool to prevent any volcanic activity in the near future, but getting Lance to agree to lay off the bickering for the day was another matter. Usually Shiro tolerated the odd rivalry-friendship between the Red and Blue Paladins, only feeling the need to interrupt their explosive arguments when they distracted from the mission, hindered training, or presented a real danger of causing natural disasters, like right now actually.

Lance immediately assumed Keith was somehow responsible for Shiro's request and accused the fire empath of being unable to handle his biting wit. He then proceeded to boast wildly about his supposedly _mad_ skills at arguing of all things. Shiro didn't even have to say anything. His mounting frustration with the situation caused lightning to flash before the castle's monitors and thunder to roll in from across the lilac colored ocean outside. Lance was suddenly very cooperative.

But after noticing that along with making the sky look like it was about to unload a truly devastating storm he'd also managed to cause the tide to recede quite a distance – likely a result of startling Lance – Shiro decided it was about time for a strategic retreat to his room. Everyone else was already getting changed anyway or applying the useless Altean sunscreen, acting as though they had complete faith that he could keep it together long enough for one beach day. He really wished he shared their confidence.

Still, he plastered on his most reassuring smile and announced where he was headed.

Lance immediately perked up, seemingly recovered from his earlier sulk. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I put your suit on your bed. You should try in on and make sure it fits."

"Right," Shiro agreed with forced calm. His efforts at appearing unbothered by the suggestion might have even been successful if not for the way the wind picked up at that exact moment, kinda like his breathing. But no one tried to stop him and as soon as he was alone in his room Shiro slumped against the inside of his door, no longer bothering with the act now that he was away from the sympathetic stares. It wasn't like it was fooling anyone anyway. He sighed and breathed in deeply through his nose. _Patience yields focus._

Objectively Shiro knew that if he could just hide away in his room he'd eventually calm down enough for the sky to return to normal. But the others would be disappointed if he didn't go out with them soon. He really didn't want to do that to them. They deserved this break. It's just the beach meant swim suits, which meant showing skin, and for him that meant showing scars.

He had so many. Even taking a light shirt wouldn't make too much of a difference and anything less than quarter-length sleeves tended to show off the horrible mess of ruined skin around his prosthetic port. Then there was the nasty looking tracks crisscrossed over his left wrist, evidencing he'd struggled desperately while cuffed. The restraints had viciously bit into his skin, permanently damaging the area around the joint. He didn't even want to be able to look down and spot the crooked bite mark along his right thigh or see the ugly burn curving unevenly around his left shin.

It probably seemed so silly to everyone else. The others would swear up and down that the gruesome markings on his body didn't bother them, and Shiro could almost believe them. They certainly tried to seem sincere, but he noticed the way they all very carefully didn't react to the scars he'd had no choice but to reveal. And that wasn't even all of the problem; just looking at some of the markings on his skin drug up murky sensations of horror and hysteria to the surface.

_It's over, none of that can hurt me anymore._ With another shaky breath, Shiro tore his thoughts away from past traumas and instead focused his gaze about his room. The small, spartanly decorated space looked almost just as he'd left it earlier that morning, a bundle of black fabric haphazardly folded on the neatly made bunk the only evidence of otherwise. Swallowing the dread building in his throat, Shiro held up the source of his beach anxieties – it's not a pair of swim trunks.

Shiro choked on a surprised gasp, having to hold the fabric up higher to keep it from dragging the floor. It looked like a full body wetsuit. The flexible material was predominantly black with stylish details in white, red and yellow running down the torso and long sleeves. Something about the color scheme reminded him vaguely of the Black Lion's calming presence settled comfortably at the back of his mind. Moisture gathered in the corners of his eyes when he realized his team had done this for him.

When he joined the others on the sandy beach he's almost entirely unnoticed because everyone was busy staring at the sky. Unsure of what he'd find, Shiro reluctantly glanced up to witness rays of golden sunlight piercing through the gloomy clouds and shining down to shimmer over the surface of the purple tinged waters below like glittering stardust. The waves were no longer choppy as the gale force winds had died down to a pleasant sea breeze that tousled his white bangs while he watched the sky unfold into a vast, blue canvas, the massive clouds not dissipating entirely but instead building up into impressive, complex formations that inspired the search for familiar silhouettes contoured within the masses of suspended water particles and no longer looked quite so somber. Something loosened in Shiro's chest at the sight.

"Shiro, we're glad you could make it."

Shiro tore his eyes away from the spectacle in the atmosphere to find Allura offering him an encouraging smile. She was wearing a wetsuit similar to his own but with shorter sleeves and pants, the colors were the same as her flight suit. "Me too, Princess."

"Whoa! Looking good, Shiro!" Hunk gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up from where he's setting up a blanket closer to the alien waters. He was wearing a pair of long, dark-yellow swim trunks and an orange t-shirt that looked to be made of some kind of waterproof material.

Pidge had a similar get up but in differing shades of green while Keith wore a red version of Shiro's suit. The two of them waved at him from where they're trying out some type of hovering bodyboard in the surf.

Shiro ducked his head shyly. "Guys, thanks."

"Alright, stand aside, everyone! It's time for some razzle dazzle!"

"Just a tick, Lance, you forgot to put sunshield on your hideous, round ears!"

Still, nothing quite prepared him for the unexpected sight of Lance and Coran sprinting onto the beach lathered in some kind of teal lotion, wearing nothing but speedos.

* * *

END NOTES: You're welcome for that image XD

I'm also just gonna pretend like Shiro never considered just going to the beach fully clothed.

Thanks so much for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed!


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